B.S./M.A. Five Year Program

Loyola undergraduates with an overall GPA of 3.5 may apply for our combined B.S./M.A. program in their junior year. Students in this program will take 3 graduate (400 level) classes in their senior year that will count toward both their B.S. degree and their M.A. degree. Students should save their electives so that the graduate level classes can count as electives in their major. In addition, the internship or capstone course counts toward both the B.S. degree and the M.A. degree. Thus, 12 hours of the 31 hour MA degree will be completed during the senior year of the undergraduate degree. Students, after graduating with their B.S. degree, will take the remaining 6 courses as a full-time graduate student during their fifth year at Loyola University.

Thus, the B.S./M.A. program enables high achieving undergraduate majors to begin fulfilling requirements for a master's degree while completing the bachelor's degree. The program is designed so that students may complete their M.A. degree in one year after graduating with their B.S. degree rather than the traditional two years of study. With a M.A. degree students have more challenging courses during their senior year of study and have broader career opportunities after completing the M.A. degree. Successful students have obtained desired careers, gain admission to law schools, or gain admission to Ph.D. programs.

For additional information on this program, please contact Dr. David Olson, Graduate Program Director, at dolson1@luc.edu.